Why would anyone venture into caves to study the climate? The answer lies in palaeoclimatology—the science of past climates. At Teesside University, our Environmental Science team studies climate patterns to help communities prepare for future changes.

Dr. Lisa Baldini and Dr. Jens Holvoeth focus on reconstructing past climates – Lisa examines stalagmites, while Jens studies sediment cores. These ‘archives of past climate’ offer vital insights into climate trends before the Industrial Era began, giving us a baseline to understand today’s changes.

Dr. Mehnaz Rashid specialises in climate modeling and GIS, focusing on the tropics, where unpredictable rainfall can devastate subsistence farming. Meanwhile, Dr. Adrian Dye, our glaciologist, studies glacier response to rising temperatures, especially around sea ice, to predict future ice sheet collapse. We also have resident experts in soils, peatlands, agriculture, greenhouse gases, and microbiology—all of these are critical components of the Earth’s climate system.

This summer Dr. Baldini headed underground in tropical Central Africa with her PhD student (a Teesside Environmental Management MSc graduate) and local researchers. Here, in Dengui Cave (Gabon) she explains how stalagmites preserve a record of past climate in their chemistry, helping us understand how rainfall and temperature patterns have shifted over centuries.

At Teesside, we’re committed to tackling climate change—past, present, and future. Come join our Environmental Science BSc or Environmental Management MSc course so you can help make a difference too.